Twins–White Sox rivalry

Minnesota Twins Chicago White Sox
Location	Midwestern United States
First meeting	June 2, 1901[1] South Side Park,Chicago,Illinois Senators 7, White Stockings 5
Latest meeting	September 4, 2025[1] Target Field,Minneapolis,Minnesota White Sox 11, Twins 8
Next meeting	May 25, 2026 Rate Field,Chicago,Illinois
Stadiums	Twins:Target Field White Sox:Rate Field
Statistics
Meetings total	2,338[2]
Regular season series	White Sox, 1,193–1,130–15 (.513)[1]
Largest victory	Twins, 20–1(May 21,2009)[3] White Sox, 20–2(June 17,1956)[4]
Longest win streak	Twins, 10(September 8,1965–June 12,1966)[1] White Sox, 13(July 29,1909–May 10,1910)[1]
Current win streak	White Sox, 6[1]

210km
130miles

White Sox

Twins

   

Locations of theMinnesota Twins andChicago White Sox

TheTwins–White Sox rivalry^[5][6][7] is aMajor League Baseball (MLB) rivalry between theMinnesota Twins and theChicago White Sox. Both clubs are members of MLB'sAmerican League (AL)Central division. Both teams were founding members of the AL; they have played each other annually since1901 when the Twins played as theWashington Senators and the White Sox played as the White Stockings. However, the rivalry did not begin in earnest until the 2000s, when the White Sox and Twins consistently battled for the AL Central crown.^{[8][9][10][11]} The White Sox lead the overall series, 1,193–1,130–15.^[2] The teams have never played each other in theMajor League Baseball postseason.

The most prominent meeting between the two teams occurred in the2008 American League Central tie-breaker game, which was necessitated by the two clubs finishing the season with identical records. The White Sox won this game 1–0 on aJim Thome home run. The series is of special importance in theUpper Midwest where the White Sox and Twins remain popular teams in areas of Wisconsin and Iowa and the fanbases intersect.

While the series dates back to 1901, the teams became regional rivals after the then-Washington Senators moved to Minnesota and became the Twins in 1961. The1965 season saw theTwins andWhite Sox finish first and second in the American League Standings, with the Twins winning the pennant by seven games. Both teams were placed in theAL West following the1969 realignment, but inconsistent play from both teams throughout the 1970s and 1980s prevented a rivalry from developing.

Both teams found limited success in the early 1990s, with theTwins winning the AL West in1991 by eight games over the second placeWhite Sox on their way to a secondWorld Series title in five years, and theWhite Sox winning the division in 1993. In1994, both teams were placed in the newly formedAL Central but both teams declined throughout the remainder of the decade.

The rivalry took shape in the 2000s as both teams consistently competed for the AL Central title. The Twins won three consecutive division titles from 2002–2004, with the Sox coming in second place each year. The2003 season proved to be the closest, asMinnesota would win the division by four games after trailingChicago by7+1⁄2 games at the All-Star Break.^[12] From September 16–18, 2003, Minnesota completed a pivotal three-game sweep of Chicago, holding the White Sox to a combined seven runs and extending its division lead from a half-game to3+1⁄2 games.^[12]

After the2005White Sox dominated the AL Central en route to theirWorld Series title, theTwins retook the division in2006, finishing one game ahead of theDetroit Tigers and just six ahead of the third-placeWhite Sox. The 2006 season was noted for White Sox managerOzzie Guillen referring to the Twins players as "littlepiranhas".^[13]

In2008, TheWhite Sox led the AL Central for most of the season.^[14] TheTwins spent much of the season in second place behind the White Sox.^[15] In the penultimate series of the season from September 23–25, the Twins swept the White Sox to take a half-game lead.^[16] Both the Twins and White Sox lost two of three in their final series,^[15] forcing Chicago to play a make-up against theDetroit Tigers, which had been rained out earlier in September.^[17] The White Sox won this game, leaving the Sox and Twins tied atop the AL Central at 88–74, forcing atie-breaker game to decide the division champion.^{[14][15][17][18]}

Chicago won the coin toss for home field advantage for the tiebreaker based on the rules at the time; White Sox fans were encouraged to wear black, leading to this game being called the "Blackout Game."^[19] The White Sox won the game, 1–0, on the strength of aJim Thome home run in the 7th inning. Chicagostarting pitcherJohn Danks, pitching on three days rest, pitched eight shutout innings andcloserBobby Jenks pitched the 9th to earn the save.^[20]

The2010 season saw theTwins come back from down5+1⁄2 games behind theWhite Sox in mid-July to win the division by 6 games; The Twins won 10 of 12 head-to-head meetings over the White Sox late in the season.

On May 3, 2011,Twins pitcherFrancisco Liriano threw ano-hitter in a 1–0 win over theWhite Sox, the only no-hitter in the series between the two teams.^[21] The next season, Liriano was traded to theWhite Sox in exchange forEduardo Escobar andPedro Hernández.^[22] As Liriano struggled with the command of his pitches, the White Sox removed him from the rotation in September.^[23]

The rivalry cooled off throughout the 2010s as neither team found consistent success. Minnesota would make playoff appearances in2017 and2019, while the White Sox failed to make the playoffs throughout the decade.

TheTwins won the AL Central in theCOVID-19-shortened2020 season with a record of 36–24, finishing just one game ahead of theWhite Sox and theCleveland Indians. Both the Twins and White Sox made it to the postseason, marking the first time both teams would qualify. However, both lost their respective Wild Card Series.

On May 17, 2021, The White Sox were already comfortably ahead the Twins 15–4 in the top of the ninth inning. The Twins position playerWillians Astudillo pitching. On a 3–0 count, White Sox catcherYermín Mercedes hit a home run off of Astudillo to increase the score to 16–4. This was criticized by his own managerTony La Russa for violating theunwritten rules of baseball.^[24] The rule said: "do not swing on a 3–0 count when your team is comfortably ahead."^[25] The next day, Twins pitcherTyler Duffey threw behind Mercedes, possibly in an attempt to hit him. The umpires discussed and then threw Duffeyout of the game believing it was intentional. Duffey was also suspended for two games.^[26] The White Sox ended up winning the AL Central division finishing with a record of 93–69, while the Twins finished in last with a 73–89 record.

The following notable players played for both the Twins and White Sox during their careers.^[27]

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